When a firefight starts your brain stops. You lose track of space and time and just rely on instinct and reaction speed to win the point.
During those hand battles, you’re likely making a critical mistake without even realizing it. Because those hand battles are so quick there is little to no time to recover.
For $50 off your first Pickleball Box, use code Dink50.
So after one shot your form is out the window and you're out of position. On last weekend’s PPA Masters broadcast Jay Devilliers hopped in the booth and pointed out this exact problem.
During a firefight in men’s doubles, Wyatt Stone has a counterattack fly long because he is out of position.
- When the firefight starts, Stone is in ready position, with knees bent, and counters the first attack
- But the shot gets his feet moving and pushes him off the kitchen line
- On the next attack, Stone is standing straight up and has to stretch for the ball sending it deep
Or as Jay says on the broadcast (please read with a French accent) “He’s pretty low on the first counter. The second he stands up, he opens the face of his paddle, and it flies a little bit long.”
Because things happen so fast in the hands battle, it's important to maintain a ready position and limit exaggerated body movements. The counter should be a short punch that can be reloaded quickly.
An exaggerated follow through or standing straight up will leave you out of position for the next ball. Watch the clip in real-time here.
To get pickleball tips delivered directly to your inbox, subscribe to The Dink 3X weekly Newsletter.
